2018-19 European windstorm season
The 2018-19 European windstorm season was a above-average and devastating season. It featured 17 named storms, of which 4 became severe windstorms (Eugénie, Finn, Leopold and Rosalina), and 3 became major, catastrophic windstorms (Hans, Karla and Phineas). The season began on September 27, 2018 with Anaïs's formation, and ended on March 11, 2019 with Rosalina's dissipation. This season featured Karla, a major storm that developed unprecedented tropical characteristics over the Bay of Biscay (it was dubbed by some to be a biscane), and Phineas, the most powerful European windstorm to hit Continental Europe since Lotharingia in 1999. The season kicked off with Anais on September 27, a few days before its official start on October 1. Anais reached Category 2 status, and is one of the most powerful September windstorms to ever occur, behind Albrecht of 1997 which reached Category 4. After a series of three minor windstorms over October and November, Eugénie formed on November 27, followed by Finn on December 1. Both of these storms would then reach Category 4, Eugenie causing unprecedented floods in the Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom and northern France. Cities such as Lowestoft, Rotterdam, Dunkirk or Ostende were invaded by the North Sea. Finn caused minor damage in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands. In late December, Hans formed over the open Atlantic. It would then develop into a powerful Category 5 windstorm, wreaking havoc in the British Isles. In January, a low that formed northeast of the Azores moved near the Iberian peninsula, to eventually develop into Karla, the 11th named storm of the season. Karla scratched the coast of Galicia as a Category 2 windstorm, but then gained tropical-like characteristics over the Bay of Biscay, gaining a somewhat-defined eye. As the storm made landfall near La Rochelle, in France, it became a Category 5 system, the second of the season. Karla caused important storm surge and flooding before getting through France and entering te Mediterranean Sea, where it regained strength before making landfall in Toscany, Italy, and eventually disappearing over the Alps. TBC... Seasonal summary ImageSize = width:700 height:230 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:100 right:40 left:20 Legend = columns:4 left:30 top:78 columnwidth:150 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/09/2018 till:01/04/2019 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/09/2018 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:ED value:rgb(0.38,0.73,1) legend:European_Depression_=_<50_mph_ id:EW value:rgb(0,0.98,0.96) legend:European_Windstorm_=_50–62_mph_ id:C1 value:rgb(1,1,0.80) legend:Category_1_=_63–75_mph_ id:C2 value:rgb(1,0.91,0.46) legend:Category_2_=_76–84_mph_ id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.76,0.25) legend:Category_3_=_85–92_mph_ id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.56,0.13) legend:Category_4_=_93–120_mph_ id:C5 value:rgb(1,0.38,0.38) legend:Category_5_=_>120_mph_ Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData = barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:27/09/2018 till:30/09/2018 color:C2 text:Anaïs (C2) from:14/10/2018 till:17/10/2018 color:EW text:Barry (EW) from:02/11/2018 till:05/11/2018 color:EW text:Charlotte (EW) from:12/11/2018 till:16/11/2018 color:EW text:Dieter (EW) from:27/11/2018 till:03/12/2018 color:C4 text:Eugénie (C4) from:01/12/2018 till:07/12/2018 color:C4 text:Finn (C4) from:19/12/2018 till:23/12/2018 color:C2 text:Gisèle (C2) from:26/12/2018 till:30/12/2018 color:C5 text:Hans (C5) barset:break from:31/12/2018 till:04/01/2019 color:EW text:Iphigenia (EW) from:14/01/2019 till:18/01/2019 color:C1 text:Jaden (C1) from:20/01/2019 till:27/01/2019 color:C5 text:Karla (C5) from:23/01/2019 till:29/01/2019 color:C3 text:Leopold (C3) from:31/01/2019 till:03/02/2019 color:C1 text:Maya (C1) from:07/02/2019 till:12/02/2019 color:C1 text:Nathan (C1) from:19/02/2019 till:23/02/2019 color:C2 text:Oprah (C2) from:26/02/2019 till:07/03/2019 color:C5 text:Phineas (C5) barset:break from:06/03/2019 till:11/03/2019 color:C4 text:Rosalina (C4) bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/09/2018 till:30/09/2018 text:September from:01/10/2018 till:31/10/2018 text:October from:01/11/2018 till:30/11/2018 text:November from:01/12/2018 till:31/12/2018 text:December from:01/01/2019 till:31/01/2019 text:January from:01/02/2019 till:28/02/2019 text:February from:01/03/2019 till:31/03/2019 text:March List of storms Storm Anaïs Storm Barry Storm Charlotte Storm Dieter Storm Eugénie Storm Finn Storm Gisèle Storm Hans Storm Iphigenia Storm Jaden Storm Karla Storm Leopold Storm Maya Storm Nathan Storm Oprah Storm Phineas Storm Rosalina Storm Names The following names were used for named European windstorms in 2018-19. Names that were not used are marked in gray. This is the same list used in the 2012-13 season, with the exception of Iphigenia and Phineas, which replaced Isis and Pascal, respectively. Retirement On July 10, 2019, under the recommendation of the World Meteorological Organization, the Western European Windstorm Centre retired the names Eugénie, Hans, Karla, Phineas and Rosalina from its rotating name lists. They were replaced with Éléonore, Herbert, Ksenia, Peppe and Renata for the 2024-25 season. Category:Future storms Category:European windstorm season Category:European windstorms